Rich In Footbreak
by Tricki
Summary: "I kicked a wall." Was the first thing Simon said when they walked out of the office that night.  Post 2x16: Caveat Medicus.  AU.


**AN**: This is a bit alternate universe. It's set post Caveat Medicus, and assumes that the rest of the series panned out differently. I hope it's not too OOC. Any typos or general badness are my bad.

**Set**: Post Caveat Medicus

**Pair**: Amanda & Simon

**Spoilers**: The episodes leading up to CM.

**The Rest**: is history. 99.

_**Rich In Footbreak**_

"I kicked a wall." Was the first thing Simon said when they walked out of the office that night. Amanda turned to him with a cocked eyebrow. "I didn't hurt my ankle slipping off a rock while I was hiking. I kicked a wall."

"Huh." Amanda replied, somewhere between thoughtful and confused. She took a furtive sideways glance at him. "Am I allowed to ask why?"

"I was frustrated." He said simply. Their gazes met. Had Amanda not been acutely aware that they were in potentially dangerous water, she would have replied with a cheeky "Sexually?" to such a statement. Instead she kept quiet. She adored Simon, but she knew he wasn't exactly the most forthcoming of people – not even the most forthcoming of men; she knew if he wanted her to know, he would volunteer the information, as he had done thus far.

On top of that, she was a little wary of spooking him. He'd been particularly inconsistent the last few days, and she couldn't honestly say how he would react – an odd position for her to be in, since she generally had a pretty impressive understanding of how the surgeon's mind worked. Bearing all that in mind, there was still something she needed to say, a personal grievance she needed to air.

"You didn't even answer me when I asked you. I had to hear it from Jamie." Her tone was somewhere between disbelief and hurt, the hurt subtle, but still obvious to Simon.

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just, love Jamie though I do, it was something that would've required explanation. And it isn't something I really want to explain, except to the people closest to me." Amanda's lips pulled into a wry smile.

"So, are you going to explain it to me?"

"Of course. That's why I didn't answer you." She frowned, analysed the sentence for a moment, and then gave up.

"I'm not following you."

"Well this way I haven't lied to you. And I haven't had to explain everything to the whole office."

Amanda took another lengthy pause before merely uttering a soft "Huh."

"I don't really love Eva any more. I want to, but I don't. I, uh. The day I was getting on the plane to see her, I couldn't stop thinking about you. And then when I got back, I was in my flat, trying to remind myself of all the things I love about her... and part of me couldn't stop comparing them to the things I love about you. And finding the things I loved about her falling short. I was so frustrated I kicked a wall."

Amanda's eyes grew at least three times bigger. "...You broke your foot over _me?_"

"...That's one way of putting it."

"Simon..." She breathed his name on an upward inflexion, wondering exactly what this meant. Her fingertips sought his bicep to stop him walking; the motion was cautious, almost timid. Before she had time to process – not because he was moving particularly fast, but because her brain had stalled more dramatically than her car's engine would've – his fingertips had brushed her jawbone and tweaked the ends of her curls in wonder.

He leant in and captured her lips delicately. There was nothing demanding in the action, just slow and sweet kisses, making her knees turn spectacularly to jelly. Her hand finally wrapped around his bicep and squeezed as he dropped his briefcase and brought his second hand to rest on the other side of her face, his fingers splayed so they covered both her cheek and her neck. It wasn't that he was holding her where she was, he was merely making as much contact with her skin as he could. The gentleness made her tingle even more.

Amanda's free hand found its ways to the hollow of his throat, but as soon as she realised that if he was kissing her, she was probably not overstepping the mark to touch him more intimately, she moved her hand to caress his cheek.

She moved closer, bridging what little gap remained between their bodies, and moulded herself to him. The kiss didn't seem to increase in pace at all. The rhythm was sweet and tender rather than fast and hungry, and when Simon eventually pulled back, Amanda's eyes shot open in shock.

Simon, she saw, still had his closed; an almost blissful smile played about his lips. She didn't really care what his motivation was – she wanted his lips back.

"You taste exactly how I imagined you would." He mumbled.

"Have you given a lot of thought to this, Doctor Lloyd?" She half asked, half teased. She was finally regaining her natural Amanda-confidence, and began to peck his neck and jaw playfully.

"Far too much." He answered, guiding her head up so he could kiss her again. This kiss was hungry, its pace faster but not frenetic. Amanda audibly whimpered when he pulled away this time.

Simon's eyes met hers with a confident sparkle, and he looked lighter and more at ease than she'd seen him in weeks.

"Would you like to have dinner with me some time?" He smiled. He hadn't released her, was still holding onto her delicately.

"I'd love to." She played along. "You know, I'm actually free now, if you are." Her eyes danced with mischief. Simon broke into a grin and laughed.

He dropped a fleeting kiss to her temple. "Where would you like to eat?"

"How about that steak place you like?"

Simon nodded his concession, half shrugging. The gesture was classic Simon, and suddenly being anywhere but alone with him seemed highly undesirable.

"Actually," she amended, leaning up and stealing a kiss that she'd longed for for months. "Do you know anywhere that delivers?"

Simon's face broke into a broad grin then. Yes, there were things that had been said that would need to be addressed in the future, but tonight that didn't matter – she hadn't run at his words, and that told him all he needed to know. Tonight the only matter they needed to address was dinner; and he could cope with that.


End file.
